Control apparatus for horizontal reel



April 30, 1968 E. E. cRlsT ET AL 3,380,685

CONTROL APPARATUS FOR HORIZONTAL REEL Filed July 5, 1966 5 Sheets-Sheetl April 30, 1968 E. E. CRIST ETAL 3,380,685

CONTROL APPARATUS FOR HORIZONTAL REEL Filed July 5, 1966 5 Sheets-Sheet2 il' `f I l j 18N VENTORS .522229115 Zjz @a/./z/ZZ April 30, 1968 E. E.cRlsT ET AL CONTROL APPARATUS FOR HORIZONTAL REEL 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 FiledJuly 5, 1966 INyENToRs Z'fzef. Cfw QfaaL-/ZZ w @W WYWATTORNEYS April 30,1968 E. E. cRlsT ET AL 3,380,685

CONTROL APPARATUS FOR HORIZONTAL REEL Filed July 5, A196e 5sheets-sheer@ m" -fm ATTORNEYS April 30, 1968 E. E. CRIS-r ET AL3,380,685

CONTROL APPARATUS FOR HORIZONTAL REEL Filed July 5, 1966 5 Sheets-Sheet5 lmnp V. llilllll limp.

IN VENTORS Z /fzefCZ- JQZKIQZZZ m, Z2! Q Q s; ATTORNEYS l l v UnitedStates Patent 3,380,685 CONTROL APPARATUS FOR HORIZONTAL REEL Elmer E.Crist and Jack L. Diltz, Beloit, Wis., assignors to Beloit Corporation,Beloit, Wis., a corporation of Wisconsin Filed July 5, 1966, Ser. No.562,578 12 Claims. (Cl. 242-65) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A Web Windingapparatus having a core carrying means pivotally supported between theWinder drum and a pickup device for removing the core from the webwinding machine. The core is maintained in Winding relationship with thewinding drum by means of a pressurizing means such as an air motor. Thecore carrying means includes a core saddle which is mounted betweenupper and lower pivot arms and which thereby is carried substantiallyfrictionless as the buildup on the core increases and as the core movesfrom the Winder drum to the pickup mechanism.

This invention relates to a web Winding apparatus and in particular to aweb Winding device having novel means for controlling the Windingtension of a moving Web.

Winding apparatus currently in use generally employ a Winder drum and apair of horizontal rails for carrying a core or Winding spool. The spoolis held against the Winder drum by pressurizing means, and the tensionof the web becomes a function of the pressure between the spool and thedrum.

As the buildup of the web increases, the increasing diameter of thespool causes the winding core to slide along the horizontal rails in adirection away from the Winder drum.

Maintaining a uniform tension on the web during the winding operationhas been found to be highly desirable for several reasons, such asmaintaining a uniform texture for the wound web. However, the horizontalrail structure as currently used to accommodate the web buildup on thespool has not been found entirely satisfactory for this purpose.

The appreciable Weight of the spool on the rails inevitably developsirregularities in the bearing surfaces which are reected in irregularfriction components on the spool, as it traverses the rail span. Theresult is a nonuniform tension on the web.

Therefore, it is a principal object of this invention to provide animproved Web Winding apparatus.

It is also an object of this invention to provide a winding apparatuswhich has means for maintaining a uniform nip pressure between theWinder drum and an associated Winding spool.

It is another object of this invention to provide a means for supportinga winding spool against a Winder drum and for accommodating the buildupin web material for maintaining a uniform nip pressure between the spooland the drum.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a pivotallysuspended core saddle for maintaining the positioning of a Winding coreon a Winding machine and for providing a substantially frictionlesstranslation of the core due to the buildup of web material thereon.

It is an additional object of this invention to provide a substantiallyfrictionless means for loadingl a winding spool against the bearingsurface of a Winder drum.

It is another object of this invention to provide a novel pick-off meansfor removing a fully Wound spool from a core saddle pivotally supportedaccording to this invention.

3,38,685 Patented Apr. 30, 1968 JCC These and other objects, featuresand advantages of' the present invention will be understood in greaterdetail from the following description and the associated drawingswherein reference numerals are utilized in designating an illustrativeembodiment and wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a side view showing the pivotally supported Winding spoolaccording to this invention along with an associated winder drum andspool pick-olf device;

FIGURE 2 is a view taken along the lines II-II of FIGURE 1 and showingthe means for supporting a Winder core at the core saddle of thisinvention;

FIGURE 3 is an elevational view taken along the lines III-III of FIGURE1 showing the functional relationship of the lower link arm and theinner pressure arm as well as of the upper link arm of this invention;

FIGURE 4 is a view taken along the lines IV--IV of FIGURE 1 showing thestructural relationship of the components assembled to comprise thepick-off device of this invention;

FIGURE 5 is a side view of the Winding apparatus of this inventionsimilar to the view of FIGURE 1 and showing the loading of a core intothe core saddle of this invention at the start of the Winding process;

FIGURE 6 is a view similar to the views of FIG- URES l and 5 showing thetransfer of a fully wound spool from the core saddle to the pick-offdevice of this invention; and

FIGURE 7 is a side elevational view of a control apparatus according tothis invention showing an alternate desirable technique for maintaininguniform nip pressure during the winding of the roll.

This invention concerns generally the means for supporting a Windingspool on a Winding apparatus. More specifically, this invention isdirected to a means for accommodating the buildup on the spool duringthe winding operation by allowing the Winding core to translate from aWinder drum in a substantially frictionless manner. Generally, this isaccomplished by providing a core saddle which is pivotally supportedboth above and below the winding core and which due to the peculiaritiesof the linkage connections will translate substantially horizontallyfrom the Winder drum to a pick-off device.

Associated with the pivotal mounting of the core saddle which supports awinding core is a means for properly loading the Winding core againstthe Winder drum to maintain adequate and uniform tension in the web. Theloading means employed in this invention consists of a frictionless airspring which is mounted on an inner pressure arm and which is maintainedin a substantially fixed relationship with one of the pivotal supportsfor the core saddle by a hydraulic system.

Referring to the drawings in greater detail, FIGURE 1 shows a windingapparatus having a Winding core 10 carried within a pivotally supportedcore saddle 11. In FIG- URE 2 the winding core 10 is shown to consist ofa winding surface 11a and a shaft 12 having a bearing surface 13 formedat opposite ends thereof. The core saddle offers a bearing surface 14which is cooperable with the bearing surface 13 for carrying the core 10in a rotatable position.

The core saddle 11 is carried by upper and lower link arms 15 and 16,respectively. The upper arm 15 is pivotally mounted to a bracket 17 at ashaft 18 which is received within a bearing surface 19 of the bracket17. The upper link arm 15 is connected to the core saddle 11 at a pivotpin 20 as illustrated in FIGURES 1, 2 and 3.

The lower link arm 16 is pivotally supported at a bracket 21 which isxedly mounted to the web winding apparatus. The arm 16 is received abouta pin or shaft 22 which is rotatably mounted Within the bracket 21.

Similar to the connection of the upper link arm 15 to the core saddle11, the lower link arm 16 is connected to 3 the core saddle 11 at apivot pin 23. The core saddle 11, therefore, is a floating bearingsurface which will translate through a path determined by the angularmovement of the pivotal arms 15 and 16.

The driving force for rotating the Winding spool or core 10 consists ofa Winder drum 24 which is rotatably received within a bracket and whichis rotated at a predetermined speed to apply the proper windingrelationship to the core 16. A web 26 is wrapped about the winder drum24 and is passed between the drum and the core 10 for being Wound aboutthat core. Therefore, the Winder drum contacts the web 26 between thedrum surface and the surface of the web material wound on the core 10.The web material as wound on the core 10 may be referred to as a spool,and to maintain uniformity in the spool is one of the principal objectsof this invention.

Uniformity in the spool is maintained by providing a uniform tensionbetween the contacting surfaces of the spool and the Winder drum 24.Pressure between the spool and the Winder drum may be referred to as nippressure and is uniformly controlled in this invention. In particular,the upper and lower link arms 15 and 16 are supported at substantiallyfrictionless pivot points 18 and 22, and the entire core assembly maytranslate between the Winder drum and the pick-up device withinconsequential frictional variations. Frictional variations experiencedon horizontal rails and the like tend to develop abrupt movements of thespool which makes for a non-uniform winding of the web.

Since nip pressure is critical to a proper winding of the web on thecore 10, means are provided for loading the core assembly against theWinder drum 24. Such a means, however, may also be a source offrictional variations during the translation of the core due to build upin the web thereabout. However, this invention incorporates africtionless loading device for accomplishing a uniform loading of thewinding spool against the Winder drum.

To load the winding spool against the drum 24 a pressure arm 27 is alsopivotally supported about the pin 22 associated with the lower link arm16. The inner arm 27 extends between opposite legs of the lower link arm16 as shown in FIGURE 3. The loading is accomplished through twopressure devices. First, a hydraulic cylinder 28 is pivotally mounted atthe point 29 on a pedestal 30 which supports the winding drum andassociated assembly. The hydraulic cylinder 28 has a piston rod 31 whichextends therefrom and which is connected at a point 32 to the pressurearm 27. Fluid pressure is then introduced into the hydraulic cylinderfor moving the piston rod 31 outwardly therefrom and for causing thepressure arm 27 to be moved away from the Winder drum 24. Second, africtionless spring or diaphragm operated piston device 33 is mounted atthe pressure arm 27 oppositely of the hydraulic cylinder 28 and has apiston rod 34 which extends( from the frictionless air spring to thelower link arm 16 at a point 35 xedly secured to a plate 36. At a giveninstant, the pressure arm 27 is held substantially constant by thehydraulic cylinder 28, and, therefore, the air spring 33 can act on thelower link arm 16 from the lixed position of the pressure arm 27. Thefrictionless spring 33, therefore, maintains the proper nip pressure onthe winding spool.

Should the movement of the hydraulic cylinder exceed the movementrequired to accommodate the build up of web material on the core 10,limit switches may be used within the lower link arm 16 for actuatingand deactuating the hydraulic cylinder to compensate for mispositioningof the lower link arm relative to the pressure arm 27. In this way, agiven relationship between the pressure arm 27 and the lower link armmay be maintained throughout the translational motion of the core 10from the Winder drum surface 24 to the pick-up device of this invention.

In FIGURE 1 the winding spool was shown in a typical winding stage.However, means must be provided for initially loading the empty core onthe core saddle 11, and also means must be provided for removing thefully Wound 4 spool from the core saddle at the end of the Windingprocess. FIGURE 5 illustrates the former, and FIGURE 6 shows the latter.

To begin the winding stage the upper and lower link arm assemblies 15and 16 a removed to a position adjacent to the surface ,of the Winderdrum 24. As shown in FIG- URE l, an empty spool 38 is positioned withinthe jaw 39 of a loading arm 40. With the upper and lower link armassemblies in the position shown in FIGURE 5, the empty spool 38 ismoved within the jaw 39 along the surface of the drum 24 to -be placedwithin the core saddle 11. Rotation of the loading arm 40 isaccomplished through a rack 41 and pinion arrangement 42 which rotatesthe loading arm 40 in a manner well understood in the art.

Once the empty spool 38 is positioned Within the core saddle 11 and thewinding of the web has been transferred to the spool 38 as is also wellunderstood, the loading arm 40 is extended through a hydraulic cylinder43 and an extension arm 44. The extension of the arm 40 releases thecore 38 and allows the loading assembly to be returned to the positionshown in FIGURE 1 for receiving an additional empty core in preparationfor the next loading process.

With the empty core 38 in the position shown in FIG- URE 5, the windingoperation proceeds, and the core enlarges due to the build up of webthereon and accordingly, translates from the vicinity of the Winder drum24 to the vicinity of a pick-up device for being removed entirely fromthe winding operation to a storage or transportation facility.

The pick-up device of this invention is shown in operation in FIGURE 6and consists essentially of a pick-up rail 45 which is pivotally mountedat a point 46 on a pick-up pedestal 47. The pick-up rail 45 has anupturned end portion 48 for receiving the core 38 thereon and has a corestop 49 disposed oppositely of the upturned portion 48 for halting theprogression of the spool along the rail 45. The rail 45 is shown inFIGURES l, 3 and 5 in a relatively declined angle proceeding from thecore stop to the upturned end 48. However, the angle of the pick-offrail 45 can be altered by the use of a hydraulic cylinder 50 which isdisposed at a point 51 to the pedestal 47 and which has a connection 52directly to the pick-olf rail 45. By actuating the hydraulic cylinder50, the pick-off rail is elevated or lowered about the pivotal point 46for causing the wound spool supported thereon to move to a positionadjacent to the core stop 49.

The operation of the pick-up device is illustrated in FIGURE 6. InFIGURE 6 the upper and lower link arms are moved to an extreme position,and the winding operation is about to be transferred to a subsequentcore. The fully wound spool 53 is deposited at the upturned portion 48of the pick-oft rail 45, and the hydraulic cylinder 50 is actuated forraising the rail 45 and for causing the fully wound spool 53 to traversealong the rail to the core stop 49. At this point, a ybrake shoemechanism 54 is employed for restricting the movement of the fully woundspool 53 on the rail 45. The brake shoe consists essentially of anarcuate shoe 55 mounted on an arm 56 and pivotally supported at a shaft57. A series of linkages 58 and 59 are employed for causing the arcuateshoe 55 to be raised or lowered according to the needs of the system.The linkages are actuated by an air device 60. Once the fully woundspool has reached a position adjacent to the core stop 49, a cranedevice or other lifting mechanism may be employed for removing the spoolfrom the winding apparatus.

In FIGURE 7 an alternate desirable embodiment of the apparatus of thisinvention which may be utilized to maintain -a uniform nip pressureduring the winding of the roll is shown. In particular, the upper andlower pivot arms 61 and 62 are pivoted about points 63 and 64 in amanner similar to that shown in FIGURE 5. Also, the arms 61 and 62 arepivotally mounted as at points 65 and 66 to a saddle 67 similar to thesaddle 11 of FIGURE 5. In conjunction with the saddle 67, a bearingclamp 68 is pivotally mounted as at 69 and has a contact surface 70which is utilized to confine the spool 38 within the saddle 67.

In this embodiment, it will be noted that the intermediate arm 27, thehydraulic system 28 and the frictionless motor 33 as shown in FIGURE 5are eliminated. In place of the hydraulic device 28, the intermediatearm 27 and the frictionless motor 33, a uniform torque motor 71 ismounted directly to a shaft 72 which interconnects the lower pivot arm62 and its companion pivot arm at the opposite end of the reel (notshown). By mounting the uniform torque motor 71 directly to the shaft72, a uniform angular movement is provided for the lower pivot arm 62and its companion arm at the opposite end of the spool. The uniformtorque motor maintains a constant pressure at the nip 73, while thelower pivot arm 62 is carrying the spool 38 from a newly startedposition 74 to a substantially fully wound position 75. It will be notedthat a stop 76 is mounted on a stand 77 and is provided to contact thearm 62 -at a point 78 and thereby limit the movement of the arm 62 dueto the operation of the uniform torque motor 71.

It will be understood that various modifications of the embodimentdisclosed herein may be achieved by those versed in the art, but wedesire to claim all such modifcations as properly come within the scopeand the spirit of the embodiment disclosed herein.

We claim:

1. In a web Winding apparatus:

a saddle means for rotatably receiving a core therein,

a first link arm pivotally supported at one end above the saddle meansand having the other end pivotally connected to the saddle means,

a second link arm pivotally supported at one end below the saddle meansand having the other end pivotally connected to the saddle means,

the connection point of the first link arm to the saddle means beingspaced laterally from the connection point of the second link arm to thesaddle means,

means for pivoting the first and second link arms together fortranslating a core supported within the saddle means along asubstantially straight line path.

2. A web winding apparatus comprising:

a frame,

a winder drum over which a traveling web passes for being wound,

an upper ylink arm pivotally supported relative to said frame andextending downwardly therefrom,

a lower link arm pivotally supported relative to said frame andextending upwardly therefrom,

an arcuately shaped core saddle pivotally connected at one end to thelower extremity of said upper link arm and similarly connected at theopposite end to the upper extremity of said lower link arm,

a pressure arm pivotally mounted relative to said frame,

a first pressure means disposed between one of said link arms and saidpressure arm for biasing a spool disposed within said core saddle towardthe winder drum, and

a second pressure means disposed between said frame and said pressurearm for urging said pressure arm, link arms, and core saddle away fromthe Winder drum.

3. A web winding apparatus as described in claim 2 wherein said firstpressure means comprises a substantially frictionless air spring.

4. A web winding apparatus comprising:

a frame,

a Winder drum over which a traveling web passes for being wound,

an upper link arm pivotally supported relative to said frame andextending downwardly therefrom,

a lower link arm pivotally supported relative to said frame andextending upwardly therefrom,

an arcuately shaped core saddle pivotally connected at one end to thelower extremity of said upper link arm and similarly connected at theopposite end to the upper extremity of said lower link arm,

a substantially constant torque means for biasing a spool which is to bewound within said core saddle toward the Winder drum.

5. A web winding apparatus in accordance with claim 4 wherein saidconstant torque means comprises 4a constant torque motor.

6. lA web winding apparatus comprising:

a frame, a Winder drum rotatably mounted on said frame,

a core carrying means supported adjacent to the winder drum,

a carriage arm pivotally mounted -on said frame and being pivotallyconnected to the core carrying means,

means for depositing an empty core on said core carry- -ing means andfor starting a web about said core,

means ybiasing -the core toward said winder drum for maintaining auniform nip pressure the-rebetween,

means for pivotally moving the carriage arm and core carrying means awayfrom the winder drumV to accommodate web build up on said core, and

pickup means for receiving the core when fully wound from said corecarrying means.

7. A web winding -apparatus in accordance with claim 6 wherein the webbuild up of the core within said core carrying means causes translationof the core toward the pickup means.

8. A web winding apparatus as described in claim 6 wherein said pick-offmeans comprises:

a pick-off rail extending from. said frame to the vicinity of said corecarrying means,

means for depositing a fully wound core on said pickofi rail, and

means for moving the fully wound core along said rail to a positionremoved from the area of operation of said Winder drum.

9. A web winding apparatus as described in claim 8 wherein:

said pick-off rail is pivotally supported relative to said frame andwherein said means for moving the fully Wound core along said railcomprises means to pivotally alter the slope of said rail afterreceiving a wound core thereon for rolling the core to a positionremoved `from the area of operation of said winder drum.

10. A web winding apparatus comprising: a winding drum having an outercylindrical surface over which a traveling web passes for being wound,core support means for supportingla core having a roll of web materialWound thereon from the drum, pivotally mounted carrying means attachedto the core support means for accommodating movement of the core supportmeans away from the drum as the wound roll increases in size, saidpivotally mounted carrying means comprising first and second link arms,

said first link arm being pivotally mounted at one end above the coresupport means and being pivotally connected at the other end to the coresupport means,

said second link arm being pivotally mounted at one end below the co-resupport means and being pivotally connected at the other end to the coresupport means,

the points of connection of the first and second link arms to the coresupport means being spaced substantially horizontally to allow jointpivotal movement of the first and second link arms and to allow movementof the core along a substantially straight line in -response to thebuild up in winding web thereon, and pressure control means for movingthe core and maintaining a winding pressure in the nip formed betweenthe drum and the roll being Wound.

11. A web winding apparatus in accordance with claim 10 wherein saidcore support means comprises an arcuate core saddle for allowing pivotalmovement of the rst and second link arms without causing substantialvertical movement of the axis of the core supported within the saddle.

12. A Web Winding apparatus comprising:

a winding core having a substantially frictionless pivotal mounting andcarried thereby lbetween a Winder drum and a pickup mechanism,

a hydraulic cylinder moving said winding core to accommodate buildup onthe core and a frictionless air spring loading the core against a Winderdrum,

a pickup mechanism for receiving a Wound core from its substantiallyfrictionless pivotal mounting and for moving the Wound core to aposition removed from the Winder drum.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS WILLIAM S. BURDEN, PrimaryExaminer.

